Youth socialize public policy proposals with political organizations in Santa Cruz

Bolivia

Departmental authorities and members of the political party National Unity (UN) listen to the youth proposal.

The Plurinational State of Bolivia recently incorporated the Comprehensive State planning System (SPIE), which establishes instruments to articulate public policy planning within central and regional autonomous governments. The main instrument for regional governments is the Comprehensive Development Territorial Plan (PTDI), which determines specific institutional courses of action needed to reach goals and outcomes defined in medium term planning. As such, the political will of regional and municipal governments can be expressed in the PTDI, not only through guidelines, but also in terms of budgets.

After undertaking a critical review and drafting a proposal to amend the PTDI corresponding to the autonomous region of Santa Cruz, representatives from youth organizations initiated a period to socialize their proposals. These youth movements possess a document which gives voice to their opinions and systematizes their contributions on issues such as employment, security, the environment, health and democracy, and aims to substantiate adding gender and youth perspectives within the main public policy planning instrument.

Taking into account that this is an unprecedented initiative, the standpoint of the platform’s youth leadership in seeking compromise and openness is noteworthy, given that they have taken on board, as their own, the pluralistic approach established by International IDEA, as a key mandate in project development, in the process of the political socialization and advocacy of their proposals. In this regard, the youth organizations will agree to develop the socialization process with other civil society organizations and with the main regional political organizations be they in opposition or government.

The first activity addressing political organizations was held on 19 June 2018 with the Social Democratic Movement (MSD), which is the main regional political force as it currently holds the leadership of the executive branch in the autonomous regional government (GAD) and has a majority in the regional legislative assembly (ALD). The second event took place with the political party, National Unity (UN) on 27 June using the same methodology. The senior leadership of the above mentioned parties participated in these events, including UN’s former presidential candidate along with other regional authorities.

Both political parties, in addition to having an important presence in the autonomous region of Santa Cruz, have representation in the Plurinational Legislative Assembly as well as other levels of government, and will certainly participate in the general election of 2019 and in the regional elections of 2020.

These activities are being carried out within the framework of the project titled “Women’s Leadership and the strengthening of Regional Governance”, which is funded by the Embassy of Sweden, and is being executed by International IDEA in the autonomous regions of Santa Cruz, Beni, Cochabamba, La Paz and Tarija, where pluralistic platforms made up of youth organizations have been put together. These young people have devised public policy proposals, articulated in agendas, with a view to impacting governance and the programme proposals of political organizations.